In case you ever doubted the legal system is sexist…

Sexist arsehole: Judge John Rogers QC

. . .here’s the proof. (Trigger warning.)

A woman from Powys in Wales has been jailed after being raped by her abusive husband. The reason? Because under huge pressure from him and his family, she at one point retracted the allegations.

In November last year she made a 999 call to report that her husband had raped her 6 times. But in January she told Dyfed-Powys police she didn’t want to press charges. They replied that they would continue to investigate anyway, and in February she told them the allegations had been false.

The truth of the matter was that her abusive husband had put her under intense pressure and she had cracked. Her marriage has since ended, and she maintains that she was in fact telling the truth, and the retraction had been made falsely under coercion.

The man involved has now been charged with rape, and the marriage is over. The woman involved had to be moved to a refuge to protect her from him. Clearly, she deserves sympathy and support for the ordeal she has survived. But that’s the opposite of what she received at the hands of a misogynist “justice” system.

After being prosecuted for perverting the course of justice, she was jailed for 8 months last week. Sexist bastard Judge John Rogers QC said:

“Despite all the support and time taken in the investigation you eventually made a retraction. I now have to deal with you because you made a false retraction. If you had to be dealt with for making a false allegation of rape you would be looking at a sentence of two years. The position has now changed but there are two aggravating features. One you have caused a substantial amount of wastage for the CPS and police [wtf?!], and two you have had to admit that retraction was false, perverting the course of justice, and for that the imposition of a prison sentence is inevitable.”

Dyfed-Powys police have also defended their actions, claiming they treat sexual assault “seriously.” However, both they and Judge Rogers have shown a contemptible lack of understanding of the reality of violence against women, and the pressure put on survivors of such abuse. As Rape Crisis point out, there isn’t a specific offence of making a false retraction, and a decision has been made to pursue this woman.

In the quote above, the Judge highlighted the costs to the Crown Prosecution Service and police. But, at a time when across the UK vital services for abuse survivors are being cut because the government thinks rich capitalists need the money more, surely the cost of this prosecution was an unjustifiable waste of public money that we just can’t afford?

Campaigning and support groups have reacted with fury to the outrageous judgment. Holly Dustin of the End Violence Against Women Coalition said:

“Imprisoning a woman for a ‘false retraction’ of a rape allegation sends out a chilling message that parts of the criminal justice system are still in the dark ages in relation to sexual violence and do not understand the pressure women come under from perpetrators during the legal process. The potential threat of prosecution makes it less likely that women will report.

“Victims of rape already have little confidence that the police and courts will treat them fairly which is why only around one in 10 report the assault to the police.

“Resources should be focused on improving the very low conviction rate of just 6% of reported cases, and ensuring that all victims have access to specialist support from a Rape Crisis Centre whether or not they choose to report.”

Cases like this actively make the situation for women in the UK much much worse. The woman in this case is just the latest rape survivor to be jailed for “perverting the course of justice”, leaving us wondering, what justice? For example, Gail Sherwood is a rape survivor who police refused to believe and who was then jailed for two years.

The fact that we have a profoundly anti-woman legal system throughout the UK can’t be denied in the face of this evidence, and tackling it is vital. Cases like these help fuel the myth that women “cry rape”, distract attention from the appallingly low conviction rate for rape, and encourage men to carry out sexual assaults with the knowledge they are unlikely to be punished. It’s time for all those against inequality to take a stand.

Meanwhile, John Rogers is now retired to enjoy his hobbies of gardening and sailing, according to Debrett’s database of the posh. He’s the one who should be locked up, but we’d settle for his boat sinking.

The solicitors acting for the woman in this case will ensure any letters of support and solidarity sent to them will be received by her. Write to:

Geraint Jones & Co, Bronwydd House, The Bank, Newtown, Powys, SY16 2AU